@gordonjcp.bsky.social
Have you ever seen the Corner Gas episode "Two Degrees of Separation"?
December 18, 2025 at 9:50 AM
Have you ever seen the Corner Gas episode "Two Degrees of Separation"?
I've done well over a hundred thousand miles by now in mine, probably close to two hundred. There's a guy on my forum who is rapidly closing in on 600,000 in his.
It's down to maintenance.
It's down to maintenance.
December 18, 2025 at 12:09 AM
I've done well over a hundred thousand miles by now in mine, probably close to two hundred. There's a guy on my forum who is rapidly closing in on 600,000 in his.
It's down to maintenance.
It's down to maintenance.
It would also need independent batteries and control systems, I suspect.
December 17, 2025 at 11:43 PM
It would also need independent batteries and control systems, I suspect.
I drive an old Landrover. I carry tools and parts. Sometimes I also carry a bike, but that's more for fun :-D
Subconsciously I think that's what I felt uneasy about in the EVs - "but my toolbox is in my other car! What if it develops a fault?"
I'm still not used to "I ring the Fleet Workshop".
Subconsciously I think that's what I felt uneasy about in the EVs - "but my toolbox is in my other car! What if it develops a fault?"
I'm still not used to "I ring the Fleet Workshop".
December 17, 2025 at 10:33 PM
I drive an old Landrover. I carry tools and parts. Sometimes I also carry a bike, but that's more for fun :-D
Subconsciously I think that's what I felt uneasy about in the EVs - "but my toolbox is in my other car! What if it develops a fault?"
I'm still not used to "I ring the Fleet Workshop".
Subconsciously I think that's what I felt uneasy about in the EVs - "but my toolbox is in my other car! What if it develops a fault?"
I'm still not used to "I ring the Fleet Workshop".
If I take the car out at all, I'm either going to be getting through at least a couple of tanks of LPG, or I'm driving a very short distance (like maybe 80 miles or so) but pulling a 3500kg trailer.
December 17, 2025 at 10:30 PM
If I take the car out at all, I'm either going to be getting through at least a couple of tanks of LPG, or I'm driving a very short distance (like maybe 80 miles or so) but pulling a 3500kg trailer.
I use about a tenner's worth of petrol a month. My car mostly runs on propane, and is classed as a low-emission vehicle.
No point being able to charge at home when that's not where I need to charge it.
There are no charging points on mountains.
No point being able to charge at home when that's not where I need to charge it.
There are no charging points on mountains.
December 17, 2025 at 10:28 PM
I use about a tenner's worth of petrol a month. My car mostly runs on propane, and is classed as a low-emission vehicle.
No point being able to charge at home when that's not where I need to charge it.
There are no charging points on mountains.
No point being able to charge at home when that's not where I need to charge it.
There are no charging points on mountains.
do 300 miles ish in a day without having to wait hours for it to recharge.
Thing is, my "patch" is basically "Scotland", and 160-180 miles doesn't really get you far, and it doesn't get you home.
For going on holiday, sure, I can wait.
Thing is, my "patch" is basically "Scotland", and 160-180 miles doesn't really get you far, and it doesn't get you home.
For going on holiday, sure, I can wait.
December 17, 2025 at 10:26 PM
do 300 miles ish in a day without having to wait hours for it to recharge.
Thing is, my "patch" is basically "Scotland", and 160-180 miles doesn't really get you far, and it doesn't get you home.
For going on holiday, sure, I can wait.
Thing is, my "patch" is basically "Scotland", and 160-180 miles doesn't really get you far, and it doesn't get you home.
For going on holiday, sure, I can wait.
Most recently, Kia Niro EV (newer version), previously Kia e-Niro (nowhere near as good), prior to that two or three versions of Renault Zoë, and a quick shot of a mate's Leaf.
The Leaf felt quite a lot like my old K10 Micra to drive. I could probably live with the new Niro EV if I could reasonably
The Leaf felt quite a lot like my old K10 Micra to drive. I could probably live with the new Niro EV if I could reasonably
December 17, 2025 at 10:26 PM
Most recently, Kia Niro EV (newer version), previously Kia e-Niro (nowhere near as good), prior to that two or three versions of Renault Zoë, and a quick shot of a mate's Leaf.
The Leaf felt quite a lot like my old K10 Micra to drive. I could probably live with the new Niro EV if I could reasonably
The Leaf felt quite a lot like my old K10 Micra to drive. I could probably live with the new Niro EV if I could reasonably
I will say this about the Lane Killing Assist - the Kia e-Niro was weirdly aggressive about it and actually did try to throw me into the path of vehicles I was trying to avoid, but the later Niro EV I drove recently just felt like it was tramlining a bit. It may have been, but it beeped too.
December 17, 2025 at 10:24 PM
I will say this about the Lane Killing Assist - the Kia e-Niro was weirdly aggressive about it and actually did try to throw me into the path of vehicles I was trying to avoid, but the later Niro EV I drove recently just felt like it was tramlining a bit. It may have been, but it beeped too.
Everyone says "my bladder only has <x> range" and that's great, but 180 miles range is no use if I need to do about 300 miles in a day with nowhere to charge when I'm doing the actual working-on-stuff bit in the middle.
December 17, 2025 at 10:22 PM
Everyone says "my bladder only has <x> range" and that's great, but 180 miles range is no use if I need to do about 300 miles in a day with nowhere to charge when I'm doing the actual working-on-stuff bit in the middle.
hill.
And that got me wondering, if your EV went flat and there was a power cut, how many times would you need to get a horse to pull it to the top of a steep hill in neutral and let it roll down in maximum regen, to get a useful charge out of it?
And that got me wondering, if your EV went flat and there was a power cut, how many times would you need to get a horse to pull it to the top of a steep hill in neutral and let it roll down in maximum regen, to get a useful charge out of it?
December 17, 2025 at 10:21 PM
hill.
And that got me wondering, if your EV went flat and there was a power cut, how many times would you need to get a horse to pull it to the top of a steep hill in neutral and let it roll down in maximum regen, to get a useful charge out of it?
And that got me wondering, if your EV went flat and there was a power cut, how many times would you need to get a horse to pull it to the top of a steep hill in neutral and let it roll down in maximum regen, to get a useful charge out of it?
Yeah, I had a play with that but I didn't like it. I hear people raving about it, but I just don't think I could get used to it.
I think it's just setting the regen to the "stiffest" setting? It certainly flung the "charge/discharge" meter well into the charge side when I tried it on a steep
I think it's just setting the regen to the "stiffest" setting? It certainly flung the "charge/discharge" meter well into the charge side when I tried it on a steep
December 17, 2025 at 10:21 PM
Yeah, I had a play with that but I didn't like it. I hear people raving about it, but I just don't think I could get used to it.
I think it's just setting the regen to the "stiffest" setting? It certainly flung the "charge/discharge" meter well into the charge side when I tried it on a steep
I think it's just setting the regen to the "stiffest" setting? It certainly flung the "charge/discharge" meter well into the charge side when I tried it on a steep
You don't need All Wheel Drive, you need better tyres.
December 17, 2025 at 9:28 PM
You don't need All Wheel Drive, you need better tyres.
Gas is currently cheaper at about 90p/litre than fast charging an EV is at about £1 per kWh, incidentally, around where I live.
December 17, 2025 at 9:26 PM
Gas is currently cheaper at about 90p/litre than fast charging an EV is at about £1 per kWh, incidentally, around where I live.
A Tesla Model X can't go offroad. It's not an offroader.
It can't tow. You can't fit a towbar to it.
It's got a frankly pathetically limited range. Where do you charge when you're working up a mountain?
It can't tow. You can't fit a towbar to it.
It's got a frankly pathetically limited range. Where do you charge when you're working up a mountain?
December 17, 2025 at 9:25 PM
A Tesla Model X can't go offroad. It's not an offroader.
It can't tow. You can't fit a towbar to it.
It's got a frankly pathetically limited range. Where do you charge when you're working up a mountain?
It can't tow. You can't fit a towbar to it.
It's got a frankly pathetically limited range. Where do you charge when you're working up a mountain?
be flared off as waste gas as part of cracking oil down to make plastics feedstock, so it makes sense to extract some work from it. Plus, it cleans up all the crap from the stinky diesel buses! Sit behind one and you can watch the gas ECU pull itself a little lean as it hoovers up all the CO and HC.
December 17, 2025 at 9:24 PM
be flared off as waste gas as part of cracking oil down to make plastics feedstock, so it makes sense to extract some work from it. Plus, it cleans up all the crap from the stinky diesel buses! Sit behind one and you can watch the gas ECU pull itself a little lean as it hoovers up all the CO and HC.
fuelling up - the connection is a sealed thing a bit like a big BNC connector (remember those used to be on the backs of video recorders). Every month or so I stick about a tenner's worth of petrol in, for the 30 seconds or so it needs it to start when it's bitterly cold outside. The propane would
December 17, 2025 at 9:24 PM
fuelling up - the connection is a sealed thing a bit like a big BNC connector (remember those used to be on the backs of video recorders). Every month or so I stick about a tenner's worth of petrol in, for the 30 seconds or so it needs it to start when it's bitterly cold outside. The propane would
I genuinely don't see how driving an ICE vehicle could affect your wife's asthma. Have you ever had the cabin filters replaced, and the HEVAC system cleaned? All sorts of grot lives in there.
Mine is dual-fuel and mostly runs on gas, which for fairly obvious reasons you can't smell when you're
Mine is dual-fuel and mostly runs on gas, which for fairly obvious reasons you can't smell when you're
December 17, 2025 at 9:24 PM
I genuinely don't see how driving an ICE vehicle could affect your wife's asthma. Have you ever had the cabin filters replaced, and the HEVAC system cleaned? All sorts of grot lives in there.
Mine is dual-fuel and mostly runs on gas, which for fairly obvious reasons you can't smell when you're
Mine is dual-fuel and mostly runs on gas, which for fairly obvious reasons you can't smell when you're
under braking. It did have flappy paddle things to increase the regeneration, which was kind of the same thing, and maybe if I'd been able to do more than about 160 miles in it without it running out of electricity I'd have got more used to it.
December 17, 2025 at 9:20 PM
under braking. It did have flappy paddle things to increase the regeneration, which was kind of the same thing, and maybe if I'd been able to do more than about 160 miles in it without it running out of electricity I'd have got more used to it.
and the cruise control - while it was quite effective at detecting slower cars in front - would often freak out at shadows across the road.
I didn't like not being able to change down for bends on twisty roads, I'm used to popping it from D down to 3 to line up for it. It never really felt stable
I didn't like not being able to change down for bends on twisty roads, I'm used to popping it from D down to 3 to line up for it. It never really felt stable
December 17, 2025 at 9:20 PM
and the cruise control - while it was quite effective at detecting slower cars in front - would often freak out at shadows across the road.
I didn't like not being able to change down for bends on twisty roads, I'm used to popping it from D down to 3 to line up for it. It never really felt stable
I didn't like not being able to change down for bends on twisty roads, I'm used to popping it from D down to 3 to line up for it. It never really felt stable
I just have a button on the heater that clears the ice off the windscreen in about two seconds. Press button, put seatbelt on, wipe the wipers, ice gone.
I don't really get what you mean about "reduced cognitive load". I definitely found the EV a lot more hassle to drive. It was very very twitchy
I don't really get what you mean about "reduced cognitive load". I definitely found the EV a lot more hassle to drive. It was very very twitchy
December 17, 2025 at 9:20 PM
I just have a button on the heater that clears the ice off the windscreen in about two seconds. Press button, put seatbelt on, wipe the wipers, ice gone.
I don't really get what you mean about "reduced cognitive load". I definitely found the EV a lot more hassle to drive. It was very very twitchy
I don't really get what you mean about "reduced cognitive load". I definitely found the EV a lot more hassle to drive. It was very very twitchy
I am reading some code I wrote about 15 years ago for some audio processing and thinking "The fuck? When did I learn calculus and possibly more importantly when did I forget it again?"
December 17, 2025 at 9:15 PM
I am reading some code I wrote about 15 years ago for some audio processing and thinking "The fuck? When did I learn calculus and possibly more importantly when did I forget it again?"
About 25 years ago I used to live next door to one with the personalised (Irish) plate "BNZ 190".
I actually saw that plate on a Merc ML about two years ago - same person. We recognised each other :-)
I actually saw that plate on a Merc ML about two years ago - same person. We recognised each other :-)
December 17, 2025 at 9:08 PM
About 25 years ago I used to live next door to one with the personalised (Irish) plate "BNZ 190".
I actually saw that plate on a Merc ML about two years ago - same person. We recognised each other :-)
I actually saw that plate on a Merc ML about two years ago - same person. We recognised each other :-)
Fuck 'em. They voted for Brexit. They don't deserve jobs. Let them accept the costs of their choices.
December 17, 2025 at 9:05 PM
Fuck 'em. They voted for Brexit. They don't deserve jobs. Let them accept the costs of their choices.
Actually, that's the other thing. Is there an EV on the market that has decent (like about three or four hundred miles range, without needing to charge up for half a day), that can be driven properly off road and which can pull a 3500kg trailer?
Because that's mostly what I need.
Because that's mostly what I need.
December 17, 2025 at 9:04 PM
Actually, that's the other thing. Is there an EV on the market that has decent (like about three or four hundred miles range, without needing to charge up for half a day), that can be driven properly off road and which can pull a 3500kg trailer?
Because that's mostly what I need.
Because that's mostly what I need.